法苑珠林 35.63

35.63

Furthermore, the Dṛṣṭānta-sūtra says: In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, the virtues of the disciples were each different. For instance, Śāriputra was foremost in wisdom, Mahāmaudgalyāyana was foremost in supernatural powers, and Aniruddha was foremost in the divine eye, able to see the trichiliocosm, down to the subtle, leaving nothing concealed unseen. Seeing this, Ānanda addressed the Buddha, saying: 'What past karma did this Aniruddha have, that his divine eye is like this?' The Buddha told Ānanda: 'Ninety-one kalpas ago, after Vipaśyin Buddha entered nirvāṇa, this person at that time acted as a robber. He entered a Buddha-stūpa intending to steal the objects in the stūpa. At that time, a lamp was burning before the Buddha in the stūpa, and the lamp was about to go out. The robber then straightened the lamp with an arrow to make it bright. Seeing the majestic radiance of the Buddha, his hair bristled in awe. He then thought to himself: "Other people can even renounce possessions to seek blessings; how can I steal?" Thereupon he gave it up and left. By virtue of the karmic conditions of merit from straightening the lamp's wick, from then on for ninety-one kalpas he was constantly born in good realms, gradually renouncing evil, with his blessings and protections increasing daily. Now he has met me, left the household life, cultivated the Path, and attained arhatship, being the foremost among the assembly in penetrating vision with the divine eye. How much more so for one who, with utmost sincerity, makes a sacrifice and lights a lamp before the Buddha; the merit obtained is difficult to measure!' Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: 'If a person steals pearls or steals lamp-light from a Buddha-stūpa, upon death he falls into hell; if he emerges as a human, he will be born blind life after life.'